Black Project Spontaneous and Wild Ales

Black Project won brewery of the year in 2016 and only continued to push the boundaries this year with its Roswell series of fruited Lambic-style sours and an expansion of its barrel program. Owner and brewer James Howat even traveled to Belgium this year to negotiate an international beer treaty on how to label these old-world styles made to Méthode specifications. -Denver Post

Once under the radar, Black Project made its formal debut this year on South Broadway in Denver, replacing its sister operation Former Future. James and Sarah Howat’s brewery specializes beer that is spontaneously fermented with microbes in the open air, creating beer with complexity and a sense of place. Other yeast strains are isolated in the lab to make unique saisons and India pale ales.

Black Project “continues to push boundaries with their methods of harvesting and isolating wild yeast from their Denver rooftop and their marketing decision to solely focus on native microflora for fermentation,” said Chris Marchio, the former brewer at Joyride Brewing.

The unique approach gave Black Project the nod, but this category was close, with a dozen breweries in contention. Four of the state’s IPA masters finished tied for second place: Cannonball Creek, Cerebral, Comrade and Odd13 are redefining styles and pushing hop flavors to new places with each brewery hitting a new level in 2016. -Denver Post

Favorite Colorado brewery of the year: I’ve not been out to too many places this year, but I have to say what stood out for me was Black Project. I applaud James and Sarah (Howat) for making the bold move to focus on their spontaneous ales and closing their original Former Future brand. Both sides of the brewhouse had great beers, but the Black Project is so unique, and James Howat is a mad scientist that can indulge in the microbiology of their fantastic and unique beers.

There is a lot to be proud of in this city with so many great breweries, and Black Project should be mentioned always as a place to check out for a unique drinking experience.-Scott Witsoe | Wit's End Brewing Company

John Frank’s favorite: Black Project, RamjetThe funky sister brewery to Former Future let this sour red ferment in the wild (AKA the coolship), put it in a red wine barrel with Montmorency cherries and aged in the bottle for months before the June release. With a touch more of funk in the bottle, Ramjet is tart and complex with flavors of oak and cherries, earning a GABF bronze in the wide-ranging experimental beer category.

Former Future - Putin’s Brother Brett:The tap room opened in February 2014 and the first-year lineup proved intriguing. For proof, look no further than Putin’s Brother Brett, a Russian Imperial Stout spiked with Brett. It’s captivating with a clean sour bite and yet still roasty and complex. Weird, in a great way. When not on tap, the Prim and Porter, an English robust porter, on nitro is a silky temptress.